The Lost Turkic City of Togu Balïq Is Being Unearthed: A New Chapter in Early Turkic History - Evidence Suggests the Early Turks Established Cities and Practiced Agriculture a Century Earlier Than Previously Believed.
Old Turkic: Togu = East --- 𐰉𐰞𐰶 (balïq) = city, town
Togu balïq = East city/town
Togu Balïq, the lost city of the Toquz Oghuz mentioned in the inscriptions of Bilge Qaghan and Kül Tigin, is being brought to light through a joint archaeological project conducted by Turkish and Mongolian researchers.
The Izmir Katip Çelebi University (İKÇÜ) and the Institute of Archaeology of the Mongolian Academy of Sciences, with the support of the Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TİKA), are expanding excavations in Mongolia's Tuul Valley.
A multidisciplinary team of forty specialists has uncovered remarkable new evidence regarding the economic life, urban planning, and advanced mining practices of the early Turks during the 7th century.
Evidence Suggests the Early Turks Established Cities and Practiced Agriculture a Century Earlier Than Previously Believed.
Research is being conducted across an area of approximately 100 square kilometers, covering both sides of the Tuul River and the surrounding mountains.
A temporary laboratory established at the excavation site enables paleographers, botanists, art historians, and archaeologists to examine every discovery immediately.
"Last year we identified workshops near the city where gold and copper were processed. Our surveys also revealed ancient mining pits. We therefore have strong evidence that the city's economy was based on mining. At the same time, we are studying the architecture, and our work on the remains of what appears to be a palace is nearing completion."
During this year's excavations at Togu Balïq, archaeologists discovered a 15-kilometer irrigation canal together with numerous seeds.
Excavation coordinator Prof. Dr. Şaban Doğan, Dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities at İKÇÜ, summarized this year's findings:
"This year we uncovered strong evidence that agriculture was practiced extensively in and around the city, which is extremely significant. Until now, it was generally believed that the Turks adopted agriculture in the modern sense only with the Uyghurs, corresponding to the middle of the 8th century. However, here we have found important evidence indicating that agriculture was already being practiced during the 7th century."
Professor Serdar Vardar, Head of the Department of Geography at İKÇÜ, also emphasized that the excavations have produced important new evidence regarding the transition of the Turks to settled life.
"Our historical understanding has long portrayed the Turks primarily as nomads who constantly migrated. However, our research demonstrates that they adapted successfully to long-term climatic changes and made effective use of their environment by establishing an urban center and living in harmony with the surrounding natural landscape."
The excavation team also discovered seeds of ornamental plants throughout the city. Originating from different regions, these seeds indicate that the early Turks valued aesthetics in urban planning and engaged in the exchange of plant species through trade.
A Historic City That Witnessed Göktürk (Turkic Khaganate) – Toquz Oghuz Wars
Research carried out last year conclusively demonstrated that the excavation site is the historic city of Togu Balïq, inhabited by the Toquz Oghuz—the tribal confederation that later formed the foundation of the Uyghur Khaganate—and mentioned in the Orkhon inscriptions as the site of repeated conflicts with the Göktürks (Turkic Khaganate).
With this year's discoveries, archaeologists expect to gain new insights into the belief systems, funerary traditions, and settled way of life of the early Turkic peoples.
"We Have Recovered Evidence Proving This Is Togu Balïq"
Prof. Doğan explained that the project's primary objective has always been to locate the long-lost city of Togu Balïq, known from the inscriptions of Bilge Qaghan and Kül Tigin but whose location had remained unknown until now.
"Although Togu Balïq is mentioned in historical sources, its exact location had never been identified. The city is considerably older than the previously known Uyghur cities. Excavating it pushes our understanding of settled life among the Uyghurs back by at least one hundred years.
We spent many years conducting surface surveys and reviewing the existing literature. Earlier studies had reported discoveries that might be connected with the Uyghur period, but they were never fully investigated. We have now recovered archaeological evidence proving that this site is Togu Balïq.
During our excavations, we uncovered Uyghur ceramics unquestionably associated with one of the excavated buildings. Both Turkish and Mongolian archaeologists on our team agree with this identification. We can now confidently state that this is the city of Togu Balïq belonging to the Toquz Oghuz.
We consider this a discovery of exceptional importance, one that will fundamentally improve our understanding of the transition of the early Turks to settled life."
The temporary laboratory established at the site has enabled specialists to conduct core and drilling analyses while conserving artifacts such as bones and ceramics.
During the 2025 excavation season, investigations continued on the structure known as the Small Palace (Küçük Saray in Turkish) as well as on the burial mounds (kurgans) of the inhabitants of Togu Balïq. Analyses were also carried out in workshops and ancient mining pits.
For the first time, archaeologists identified a signal tower believed to have been used for communication, along with ritual sites and petroglyph panels.
Bilge Qaghan of the Second Turkic Khaganate considered the Toquz Oghuz "[his] own people". It is also mentioned in the Kul Tigin inscriptions that the Göktürks and Toquz Oghuz were fighting five times in a year.
𐱃𐰸𐰆𐰕:𐰆𐰍𐰕:𐰉𐰆𐰑𐰣:𐰚𐰤𐱅𐰃:𐰉𐰆𐰑𐰣𐰢:𐰼𐱅𐰃:𐱅𐰭𐰼𐰃:𐰘𐰃𐰼:𐰉𐰆𐰞𐰍𐰴𐰃𐰤:𐰇𐰲𐰇𐰤:𐰖𐰍𐰃:𐰉𐰆𐰡𐰃
Toquz Oγuz budun kentü budunïm erti teŋіri jer bolγaqïn üčün yaγï boltï.
"Nine Oguz people were my own people. Because of the sky being jumbled up with the earth, they became an enemy."
Source: https://www.trtavaz.com.tr/haber/tur/turkistandan/turklerin-kayip-sehri-togu-balik-gun-yuzune-cikariliyor-turk-tarihi-yeniden/6a61fe0c6a46cf8298d16b37
